Located 13km (8 miles) south of the city center, along the banks of the Yi River (Yi He) which divides Xiang Shan to the east from Longmen Shan to the west, these caves are considered one of the three great sculptural treasure troves in China. (The other two are the Mogao caves in Dunhuang, and the Yungang Grottoes in Datong, the precursor to Longmen.) In general, the limestone is harder at Longmen than at Yungang, and the caves closer to the river, making it easier to discern the details but more difficult to see the caves as a whole.
The first caves were carved in the Northern Wei dynasty in A.D. 493, when the Xiao Wen emperor moved his capital from Pingcheng (today's Datong) to Luoyang. Over the next 400 years, cave art and sculpture flourished, reaching their zenith during the Tang dynasty (618-907) and even continuing into the Northern Song. Benefactors of the Longmen Caves included imperial families, high-ranking officers, Buddhist leaders, and merchants as well as common folk, many of whom could only afford the smaller honeycomb niches. Today, there are 2,300 caves and niches with more than 2,800 inscriptions and over 100,000 Buddhist statues on both East Hill and West Hill. About 30% of the caves are from the Northern Wei dynasty (386-584); their statues are more elongated, static, and lacking in complexity and detail than the later Tang dynasty sculptures which account for about 60% of the caves, with their fuller figures, gentle features, and characteristic liveliness. The section of Longmen Shiku currently open to visitors is concentrated in a 1km-long (2/3 mile) stretch on the West Hill side of the Yi River. Morning is the best time to visit the Longmen Grottoes, which mainly face east and catch the light from the rising sun. Try to arrive before 8am to avoid the tour groups which usually descend on the caves around 9am.
Following are the best caves of the lot, starting at the entrance and running south. Displays have rudimentary English captions, but even for the most independent traveler, this is one of those times when a guided tour is highly recommended. English-speaking guides are available for hire just inside the main entrance for ¥100 ($13).
The entrance to the grottoes has recently been restructured so that you have to take a golf cart about 500m (1,625 ft.) from the parking lot to the main gate. A round-trip in the golf cart costs ¥4 (50¢). Once you've toured the first side of the mountain, you will have to either walk across a long bridge to get to the other side, or take a boat for ¥20 ($2.50) per person.
Binyang San Dong (Three Binyang Caves) -- Carving of these caves began in the Northern Wei dynasty from 500 to 523, but the carver died in 523 after completing only the middle cave. The other two were finished later. All three were commissioned by the Xuan Wu emperor, who dedicated the middle cave to his father, the Xiao Wen emperor, the southern cave to his mother, and the northern cave to himself. The figures in the middle cave are comparatively longer and thinner than their fleshier, curvier Sui and Tang dynasty counterparts in the other two caves. Missing reliefs are now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City.
Wan Fo Dong (Ten Thousand Buddha Cave) -- Finished in 680, this exquisite cave actually contains carvings of 15,000 Buddhas, mostly in small niches in the north and south walls, with the smallest Buddha measuring only 4 centimeters (1 1/2 in.) in height. Even more remarkable is the fact that this cave was commissioned by two women, an indication perhaps of the comparatively elevated status of females during empress Wu Zetian's reign. The centerpiece of the cave is the Amitabha Buddha, whose delicate rounded features are said to be modeled on those of one of the cave's patrons.
Lianhua Dong (Lotus Flower Cave) -- Carved during the Northern Wei dynasty around 527, this cave's highlight is a lotus flower, measuring 3m (10 ft.) in diameter, carved in high relief on the ceiling. Representing serenity and purity, lotus flowers are common motifs in Buddhist art. Surrounding the lotus are some faded but still fine apsarases (Buddhist flying nymphs).
Fengxian Si (Ancestor Worshipping Temple)-- Carved in the Tang dynasty between 672 and 675, this majestic cave is the largest and most beautiful at Longmen. Originally started by the Tang Gaozong emperor, it was expedited by empress Wu Zetian, an ardent Buddhist, who poured money (from her cosmetics budget, it is said) into its completion, no doubt because the central Buddha's face is thought be modeled on hers. This main Buddha, Vairocana, seated on a lotus flower, is a stunning 17m (56 ft.) tall, with a 4m-high (13-ft.) head, 1.9m-long (6-ft.) earlobes, a wide forehead, a full nose, and serene eyes, which were painted black at one time.
Flanking the Buddha are the disciple Kasyapa (the elder) to the left, and Sakyamuni's cousin, the clever disciple Ananda (the younger), to the right. Beside the disciples are two attending bodhisattvas (Buddhas who delay entry into nirvana in order to help others), Manjusri and Samantabhadra, who are decorated with exquisitely fine beads and ornamental drapes. It is said that this tableau of statues is a distilled replica of the Tang imperial court, with the dignified main Buddha representing the emperor (or empress), the obedient disciples representing the ministers, the heavenly kings standing in for the warriors and soldiers, the richly dressed bodhisattvas evoking the imperial concubines, and the flying devas (spirits) recalling palace maids.
Yaofang Dong (Medical Prescription Cave) -- This small cave was first carved in the Northern Wei dynasty but was appended in the subsequent dynasties. The main Buddha here is a Northern Qi (550-577) creation, its fuller figure emblematic of the transition from the thin Wei figures to the fuller Tang sculptures. At the entrance are stelae carved with Chinese medicine prescriptions for 120 diseases, including diabetes and madness.
Guyang Dong -- First carved during the Northern Wei sometime between 488 and 528, this is the oldest cave at Longmen, though additions were being made well into the Tang dynasty by different benefactors. Nineteen of the famous "Longmen Twenty" (20 pieces of calligraphy deemed especially fine and representative of their time) are found here. The central Buddha's head was restored during the Qing dynasty, and is said to resemble Daoist master Laozi.
Shiku Dong (Stone Room Cave) -- This last of the major caves was carved in the Northern Wei between 516 and 528 and has the best worshipping scenes in Longmen. On both sides of the wall are niches with low-relief carvings of officials in high hats, court ladies in flowing robes carrying single lotus flowers, and servants carrying sheltering canopies, all in a procession to honor Buddha.
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Dragon Gate Grottoes Pictrues 
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